1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football
1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Gator Bowl champion
Gator Bowl, W 34–3 vs. Clemson
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	9–2–1
Head coach	Jackie Sherrill (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Bob Leahy (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro I, split backs
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Johnson (1st season)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium
	Seasons ← 1976 1978 →

1977 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Notre Dame		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Penn State		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Colgate		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
North Texas State *		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 16 San Diego State		–		–		10	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		8	–	1	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Pittsburgh		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
East Carolina		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		8	–	3	–	0
Army		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Louisville		–		–		7	–	4	–	1
Boston College		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		5	–	4	–	2
Georgia Tech		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Northwestern State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Temple		–		–		5	–	5	–	1
Hawaii		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Navy		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		5	–	7	–	0
Utah State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Villanova		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Virginia Tech		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Miami (FL)		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Tulane		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Air Force		–		–		2	–	8	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		2	–	9	–	0

North Texas State (originally 9–2) awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player.^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Panthers competed in the Gator Bowl.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	4:20 p.m.	No. 3 Notre Dame	No. 7	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 9–19	56,500
September 17	1:30 p.m.	William & Mary	No. 16	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 28–6
September 24	1:00 p.m.	at Temple		Temple Stadium Philadelphia, PA		W 76–0
October 1	1:30 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 16	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		W 45–7	24,881	^[2]
October 8	7:00 p.m.	at No. 20 Florida	No. 15	Florida Field Gainesville, FL		T 17–17	62,724	^[3]
October 15	1:30 p.m.	Navy	No. 17	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 34–17
October 22	1:30 p.m.	Syracuse	No. 14	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)		W 28–21	43,551
October 29	1:30 p.m.	Tulane	No. 13	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 48–0	46,273	^[4]
November 5	1:30 p.m.	at West Virginia	No. 12	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)		W 44–3	37,031	^[5]
November 12	1:30 p.m.	vs. Army	No. 10	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ		W 52–26	35,387
November 26	1:30 p.m.	No. 9 Penn State	No. 10	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 13–15	56,500
December 30	9:00 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Clemson	No. 10	Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	ABC	W 34–3	72,289	^[6]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

1977 Pittsburgh Panthers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB		Wayne Adams	Sr
C	`67`	Tom Brzoza	Sr
QB	`12`	Matt Cavanaugh	Sr
RB		Jo Jo Heath
WR		Gordon Jones
RB		Ray Jones
WR		Willie Taylor
QB		Rick Trocano
RB		Elliott Walker
QB		Yewcic	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB		Mike Balzer
DL	`99`	Hugh Green
DL		Randy Halloway
S		Bob Jury
DT	`76`	Bill Neill	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P		Joe Gasparovic
K		Mark Schubert

Head coach

Jackie Sherrill

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Larry Bielat (AdmA)
Don Boyce (OL)
Foge Fazio (LB)
Larry Holton (DB)
Jimmy Johnson (Ast HC/DC)
Bob Leahy (OC)
Bob Matey (DL)
Joe Moore (RB)
Otto Stowe (WR)
Dave Wannstedt (Str & Cond)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Season summary

Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0–0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	0	6	0	13	19
Pittsburgh	7	2	0	0	9

at Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Date: September 10, 1977
Game attendance: 56,500
TV: ABC
Recap

Game information

First quarter

PITT – Gordon Jones 12-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (Mark Schubert kick). Pitt 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

PITT – Safety, Joe Restic tackled in end zone. Pitt 9–0.
ND – Ken MacAfee 5-yard pass from Rusty Lisch (kick blocked). Pitt 9–6. Drive:

Fourth quarter

ND – Dave Reeve 35-yard field goal. Tie 9–9. Drive:
ND – Dave Reeve 26-yard field goal. Notre Dame 12–9. Drive:
ND - Terry Eurick 4-yard run (Dave Reeve kick). Notre Dame 19–9. Drive:

Top rushers

ND – Jerome Heavens – 88 yards

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Randy Holloway	Defensive end	1	21	Minnesota Vikings
Matt Cavanaugh	Quarterback	2	50	New England Patriots
Bob Jury	Defensive back	3	63	Seattle Seahawks
Elliott Walker	Running back	6	148	San Francisco 49ers
Randy Reutershan	Wide receiver	6	160	Pittsburgh Steelers
J.C. Wilson	Defensive back	8	210	Houston Oilers
Willie Taylor	Wide receiver	9	223	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brzoza	Center	11	300	Pittsburgh Steelers

^[7]

References

^ https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
^ "Panthers Overpower B.C., 45–7". The Pittsburgh Press. October 2, 1977. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Florida ties fumbling Pitt, 17–17". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pitt too much for Tulane, 48–0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 30, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pitt rolls by 44–3". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Hammond's record falls as Pitt mauls Clemson". Tallahassee Democrat. December 31, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.

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[1] ttps://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html

[2] "Panthers Overpower B.C., 45–7". The Pittsburgh Press. October 2, 1977. pp. D1, D2 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Florida ties fumbling Pitt, 17–17". The Pittsburgh Press. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Pitt too much for Tulane, 48–0". The Pittsburgh Press. October 30, 1977. Retrieved October 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Pitt rolls by 44–3". The Tampa Tribune. November 6, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Hammond's record falls as Pitt mauls Clemson". Tallahassee Democrat. December 31, 1977. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.

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v t e Pittsburgh Panthers football
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